Every Runner's Worst Enemy

Crotch chafe: It's a delicate subject, if only for the, ahem, equipment involved. It defies the idealized picture of running, and while it’s seldom talked about, it will affect nearly everyone who tries the sport.

The chafing generally takes the form of raised, upbraided skin, and can get so bad that it blisters. It's similar to biting your cheek in that the more it rubs, the more inflamed it gets—and the more inflamed it gets, the more it rubs. Talk about a vicious cycle.

So how can you avoid putting your junk through a meat-grinder every time you go for a jog? Here are a few simple things you can do to banish crotch chafe forever. (Want more must-have running tips from the world's top endurance athletes? Check out 13 Rules Every Runner Should Know.)

1. Find the Right Apparel
Step one: Ditch the cotton. "A lot of beginning runners start out with a cotton brief, and that's going to give you a lot of problems," Vince Sherry, a coach at the Run SMART Project and owner of the Run Flagstaff store in Flagstaff, Arizona, tells MensHealth.com. Cotton is an absorbent fabric, and as it sucks up fluid, it becomes more abrasive. It also dries up very slowly. Cotton boxers are even worse because they can bunch up in between your legs.

If you're just beginning your athletic apparel collection, start with a few pairs of solid running shorts. High-end shorts have a liner built in that's made of a wicking material that will pull the sweat way and keep you dry. The liner is essentially like a pair of built-in boxer-briefs—no need to wear underwear underneath them. If you've already got trusty shorts and pants, opt to go for technical boxer-briefs. In both cases, the underwear (built-in or separate) is not only wicking and quick-drying, but it'll offer a lot of support, which will keep your bits and pieces out of harm's way and give your thighs a smoother surface.

[media-credit name="Photo courtesy of Under Armour" align="alignnone" width="300"] [/media-credit]Try Under Armour's Tough Run Shorts. They're super light and breathable, they have a built-in compression liner for added support (for your boys and your muscles), they wick and dry quickly, and they're not something you'd feel awkward about wearing into a coffee shop. ($50, underarmour.com)

2. Lube Up
When it comes to crotch chafe, friction is the enemy, and the best way to fight it is lubrication. Your go-to running solution: Bodyglide. ($10 per 1.5 ounces, amazon.com) Like a deodorant, it comes in stick form, so it's easy to apply. Spread a light layer on the areas where you typically chafe the most to get through long runs. (That depends on how much you sweat, though, so your mileage may vary.)

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But for triathletes and cyclists, Bodyglide won't do. It's simply too light for triathlons and is likely to get washed away by salt water. Instead, triathlete Jonathan Blyer, owner of the Acme Bicycle Company in Brooklyn, recommends aptly-named creams like Chamois Butt'r ($13 per 8 oz., amazon.com) and DZ Nuts ($18 per 4 oz., amazon.com) Not only are they lubricants, but they're also anti-microbial and anti-fungal, so should you get an abrasion, the lubes will help keep it clean. The downside: They're thicker, heavier, and more awkward to apply—and they're also pretty expensive. If you're strapped for cash, try Blyer's DIY version: Warm up and mix 8 ounces of Vaseline, 1/2 oz. of Neosporin, and 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of tea tree oil, which will cost you about $5 per 8 oz. jar. Blyer says the concoction works about as well the other lubes.

3. Get Your H2O Fix
As you run, your body pushes out salts through your sweat. Salt grains have a sharp, cubic structure. As you become dehydrated, your body can’t push out enough fluid to keep washing that salt away. It dries and then becomes a layer of sandpaper between your skin and clothes. “When your electrolytes and fluid levels are balanced, the sodium content of your sweat would be lower, percentage-wise,” says Sherry. That means you should continue to push fluids and electrolytes throughout longer runs.

4. Tame Your Hair . . . Down There
Pubic hair is rather coarse and if it gets bunched up between your skin and clothes, it can cause problems. There’s an ongoing (but not-so-public) debate about the best way to handle it, especially in the triathlon community where guys are already shaving their legs and armpits. “From what I know of people, it’s either you don’t shave at all and you have a ton of hair, or you shave almost completely,” says Blyer. The rationale: Enough hair may act as a buffer, but something in the middle may be an irritant.

If you do decide to go for the full monty, know that you’re going to have to do some maintenance. You know how rough and itchy your beard is when it grows out? 'Nuff said. (Pro tip: Avoid any irritation by prepping with warm water and a shaving gel that you've massaged into your skin.)

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